For Whom the Bells Toll
by Akane112
Summary: Oneshot Ryoga and Ukyo think about memories as they watch two person getting married. When they knew about their secret that will break their heart and drown them into sorrow. Pairings RanmaxAkane and RyogaxUkyo. Rated T cause of the situations...


Ranma 1/2 is definitely not mine...

For Whom the Bells Toll

* * *

The bells rang out loud and clear for all to hear, for today was the day

when two souls were to be forever joined together in the bonds of marriage.

The people attending all had different thoughts on the matter. Some wished

it had only happened sooner. Others felt that the time was just right.

Then there were those who felt that it never should happen at all. Ryouga

sat brooding in the back of the chapel. The ladies would have found him

quite a handsome sight indeed in his tuxedo were it not for the air of

absolute anger and depression that surrounded his being, penetrating him

down to the very core. Glancing up towards the front of the chapel, he

stared daggers at Ranma, his hated rival.

There he stood, fidgeting with his bow tie. Standing next to him was

Mousse. After all the help Ranma had given the guy in getting him together

with Shampoo, he had only been too happy to serve as Best Man when Ranma

asked.

Looking back down at the floor, Ryouga once again turned his thoughts back

to the hole his soul had forever been falling deeper and deeper into the

past few weeks. He wouldn't even have been there to witness his worst

nightmare unfold before his eyes had it not been for Akane asking him to

come. Even then it had taken quite a lot of persuading, but finally it had

been Akane's large eyes, filled with tears and asking him if was because he

hated her that had won the day. And what had it won? One last rusty knife

blade thrust deep through his heart, with a few cruel twists thrown in for the

sheer hell of it, something that, at this very moment, he was hoping would actually

happen. He really hadn't been a drinker before, but after he had found out the reason

they were getting married, the bottle had become his best friend. He was just glad that

there was an open bar afterwards, compliments of Nabiki, and he planed to take full

advantage of it, abuse it, even.

Sitting on the opposite side of the isle was Ukyo, who was having similar

feelings. So lost was she in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when

the Brides Maids began to glide by, lead by a very pregnant Shampoo.

Why did this have to happen?

What had she done wrong? What was so wrong with her that Ranma had

ultimately refused her? Hell, she had even, as a last

ditch effort to win his heart, offered him her most precious gift, the most

precious gift a young woman in love could offer a man. She still refused to

believe that he loved Akane. If only she had gotten to him sooner…

* * *

_Her room above Ucchan's had been lit by one hundred and one scented_

_candles, augmented even more by the most wonderfully fragrant incense she_

_could find. She had washed and completely moisturized every last inch of_

_her body, shaped her hair into large, long, luxurious princess curls that_

_bounced lightly and beautifully down her slender back. Her makeup had been_

_carefully applied to perfection and she had poured over the selection of_

_jewelry at the boutique for three days in a row before finally finding just_

_the right combination of ear rings, necklace, and belly chain._

_When Ranma had arrived, Ukyo had greeted him at the door, and had placed_

_a blindfold over his eyes. Ranma had tried cracking a few nervous jokes as she_

_gently led him up the stairs, suspecting that something different was going to_

_happen during this particular visit to the Uc-chan's. Ukyo left him in the middle of_

_the room, double locked the door behind them, triple checked to make sure the_

_curtains were tightly drawn, and switched on the mood music that she had spent_

_hours mulling over. Finally, everything was set._

_Ranma had stood in the middle of the room, blindfold still firmly covering_

_his eyes, feeling more and more uncomfortable as every second slipped by._

_Then, he heard Ukyo's voice._

_"I love you Ranma. I want to have your baby."_

_Ranma then removed his blindfold and saw Ukyo standing right in front of him._

_Ukyo had just confessed her ultimate desires to her fiancée when he roughly_

_jerked away from her, his breathing suddenly very heavy. He began shaking his head._

_"What? Ranma, its alright, I'm ready for this. I want this, our baby." What was_

_wrong, was it something she had said? Was he not ready to be a father yet? She didn't understand._

_Unfortunately she soon would._

_"No Ukyo, you really don't understand, you really don't know." There was a_

_burning intensity in his eyes. Ukyo began to grow afraid. She had a feeling_

_she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear._

* * *

Ukyo was jerked out of her memories when the Wedding March began to play.

Both Ranma and Akane had agreed on a western-style wedding, not only

because it would make Nabiki's American fiancée more comfortable, but

because it fit both their personalities. She noticed everyone around her

was standing, and quickly jumped to her feet herself just as Akane slowly

passed by, led down the isle arm in arm by her father.

Ryouga, standing there, felt his heart sinking even deeper when he saw the

smile on Akane's face. She seemed happy, excited even. He held back his

tears, refusing to make a scene. He should have known something had

changed. There were so many indicators it should have been obvious, but,

stupid him, hadn't seen them until it was already too late.

Ukyo had planned on protesting when the priest asked if anyone had

something to say against the union. She had lain awake in her bed every

night for hours on end the past week, revising over and over again the

impassioned speech she was going to give. That Ranma really didn't love

Akane, that he had been so willing to climb into bed with her, the

passionate moments they had shared, that she had true claim to him because

of the promise Ranma's father had made her's, and finally the fact that

they were only getting because, because…

Because…

However, when the moment finally came, she just couldn't rip the words from her throat.

They were right there, sitting right on the tip of her tongue. She had even stood halfway up.

It was only when she noticed that Ranma was watching her, with that pleading look in

his eyes, begging her not to say anything, that she had forced herself back down. It was

the hardest thing she had ever done in her life.

* * *

_It was on one of those occasions Akane had taken him into the bath with her that_

_his eyes had finally been opened to the truth. Feeling so ashamed for doing so, yet_

_at the same time not able to help himself, he eagerly waited in the washroom for Akane_

_to begin. His little pig ears pressed to the door, waiting to hear the tell-tale heavy breathing_

_signaling that it was safe to change back to human, he instead heard a different sound_

_this time. Was Akane…crying? Suddenly there was a sound at the entrance. Someone was_

_coming! Quickly, Ryouga ran and hid behind a wash bucket, hoping it wouldn't be Ranma._

_It was._

_Ryouga watched as Ranma quietly undressed and entered the bath, waiting for Akane's screams_

_of rage for him to get out. They never came. Noticing that Ranma had left the door open a_

_crack, Ryouga snuck up and peeked in._

_Ranma and Akane were both in the bath. She was sitting in front of him,_

_leaning her head against his shoulder, his head resting on her's, his arms_

_wrapped around her. She was still crying._

_What was this? Ryouga thought, his head swimming. Why hadn't she thrown him_

_out? Why was he holding her like that, and why was she letting him? And why was she crying?_

_Akane's quiet sobs, the soft lapping of the water at the bath's edges, the_

_occasional dripping of the faucet, the whole scene was so surreal Ryouga_

_wondered if he had wandered into the Twilight Zone._

_What he was about to hear would put everything into perspective._

_Akane was the first to break the silence. "Ranma, I'm so scared." She_

_whispered, turning her head into his neck._

_He kissed the top of her head. "I know. So am I."_

_She turned to face him. "What…what are we…what are we going to do?" she_

_whispered, looking deep into his eyes. She bit her bottom lip, looking as_

_if she could begin to cry again at any moment._

_He wrapped his arms around her, holding her in his strong, yet gentle_

_embrace. He smiled. "Akane, you don't have to worry about anything. Not_

_anymore. There's only one thing to do in a situation like this…"_

_Akane's eyes went wide, and she began to tremble. "No Ranma, you can't_

_mean…" she began, a little louder than she intended. She stopped, realizing_

_how loud she was talking. She looked fearfully into Ranma's eyes. "Ranma, I… I can't go through with…"_

_Ranma cut her off, gently covering her mouth with his hand. "No, I don't_

_mean that. What I mean is that, I think we should…start handing out…the_

_wedding invitations."_

_Ryouga and Akane both froze, hardly believing their ears._

_"But Ranma, are you sure? Do you really want to? I don't want it to happen_

_just because…" she trailed off._

_Ranma smiled. "Akane, this was something that was gonna happen eventually._

_Now we just have something to make it happen; something to finally keep us_

_from being so damn stubborn with each other. In that sense, I'm happy it_

_happened. This is a blessing."_

_Akane felt her eyes begin to tear up again. However, this time, it was for_

_a completely different reason. "Oh Ranma, do you really mean it?" Tears of_

_relief and joy began to roll down her cheeks._

_"Yes, I do." He took one of her hands in both of his and held it tight._

_"Akane, will you marry me?"_

_Ryouga wanted to die._

_Akane threw herself onto Ranma's chest and held him. "Yes! Yes I will! Oh_

_Ranma, Ranma…thank you! I was waiting so long for you to ask me! Yes of_

_course I will! Ranma, I'm so happy!"_

_Ranma held her to himself for the longest time. Finally, he gently put his_

_hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from him until he could look_

_into her eyes. "You know what couples do to celebrate an occasion like_

_this?" He asked with a coy smile._

_Akane blushed profusely. "But Ranma, are you sure? I mean I am…" He cut her off with_

_a deep kiss. She closed her eyes and returned it with all the passion she could muster._

_When they finally broke for air, Ranma answered her question. "I'm sure it_

_will be ok. How can that be bad?"_

_Akane giggled. "I guess it can't be." She licked her lips, bit her bottom_

_lip, and smiled evilly._

_What Ryoga heard in the next few seconds turned the blood running through his veins to ice…_

* * *

Ryouga gripped the bottom of the seat, shaking the horrific memories from

his head. Before he knew it, the priest had given his permission, and the

bride and groom shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Soon he was at the reception and it was his turn to congratulate the happy

couple. Ranma knew he was in for it when he saw Ryouga standing in front

of him. Wanting to hurry up and get it over with, he offered Ryouga his hand. When

Ryouga grabbed it and squeezed he swore he felt something pop. It took all of his

strength not to cry out in pain. Ryouga leaned close to him and whispered in his ear.

"Ranma, I know your little secret." Ranma's eyes popped open wide.

"If you do anything, and I mean, ANYTHING, to hurt her, and that includes running

off and leaving them, I will hunt you down and kill you with my own two

hands." There was no doubt in Ranma's mind that was telling the absolute truth.

Finally Ryouga released him. Ranma gingerly clenched his hand into a fist,

feeling his knuckles painfully pop back into place. How could he have found out?

They had tried so hard to keep it a secret from anyone outside the family. There

was only one person he had told, and he knew she wouldn't be talking.

After 'congratulating' Ranma, Ryouga sidestepped in front of Akane.

Standing there, looking into her beautiful chestnut eyes, he was suddenly

clueless as to what to do.

Akane stood there, a beaming smile on her face. Why does Ryouga look so

worried? She wondered. Suddenly he reached out and placed his hands on her

shoulders, leaned down, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She felt

something strange pass between the two of them, as if he was bringing a

finality to something. Her smile lessoned a bit. When he withdrew she gazed at him questioningly.

Ryouga kissed her forehead, his way of finally saying goodbye. He then

looked into her eyes again for a second before speaking.

"Akane…congratulations…for everything. I hope he makes you happy." He then

turned and left. It was time to drown his sorrows.

Something finally clicked in Akane's mind. Something that should have been

so obvious right from the very beginning.

Ryouga had been in love with her.

* * *

Ryouga had already had four shots before he even realized that someone had

sat down next to him. He didn't even need to look up to know who it was

from the sound of her voice.

Ukyo slammed down her second shot. "I hate this stuff." She rasped,

raising her hand to signal the bartender that she wanted another. Someone

beside her spoke.

"So what did you say to them?"

Ukyo turned her head. Ryouga was sitting beside her. She hadn't even

realized who it was she had sat next to; all she wanted to do was get

enough alcohol in her system so she could start forgetting again. Ryouga

wasn't even looking at her, just sat there with a shot glass in his hand,

twisting it around with his fingers as though he were admiring the way the

light reflected off of its surface. Ukyo knew that sparkly lights were the

furthest thing from his mind at the moment.

She turned her head back to the front as the bartender filled her glass

again. He looked at the two for a moment, then decided to leave the bottle.

Ryouga grabbed it and refilled his glass, gulping it down, enjoying the way it

burned his throat. Any kind of pain was good pain if it helped him keep his mind off other things.

"Nothing."

Ryouga looked at Ukyo. "What?"

"Nothing." She repeated. "I didn't say anything to them. I just stood back

and watched them for a moment, then came over here. I didn't want to say

anything to them." She filled her glass, then held it up, looking at the

caramel-colored liquid for a moment through the light. "I don't really even want

to see them." She finished before swallowing the contents of the

glass.

"I know what you mean." Ryouga responded, finishing another glass. His head was

starting to feel funny, as though his neck were made of rubber. He liked the feeling.

Ukyo slammed her glass down on the counter. "No, I don't thhhhink you

unerstan!" she said in a loud voice, her speech slurred. She grabbed the

bottle and drank from it straight. "Ranma told me ssssupthing bout him and

Akane!"

Ryouga grabbed the bottle away from her and began to drink. "I don nnnneed

you ta tell mme. I aready know howda you know?"

Ukyo grabbed for the bottle, but Ryouga put his hand on her chest, keeping

her away.

"Gimme the bottle!"

"No." Ryouga took another gulp.

"Gimme the stupid bottle, you jerk!" she yelled. A few people turned to

look at them, giving the two dirty looks.

Ryouga continued to keep her away. "Na utill you tell me how you know."

Ukyo huffed, her head swimming. "Cuz Ranma told me, that's why. Now

givitame!" she grabbed for the bottle again, this time succeeding in

snatching it away from his lips, leaving a few drops to roll down his chin. Ryouga

wiped them away with a clumsy hand.

"Yeahll nobuddy hada tell me!" he said, sucking the dregs of what was left

in his glass into his mouth with a noisy slurp. He then lowered his voice.

"I saw 'em ina baftub!"

From across the room, Kasumi and Nabiki watched both Ukyo and Ryouga fall

deeper and deeper into inebriation. Small snippets of their conversation

caught their ears. It wouldn't take someone in-the-know with enough brain

cells to rub together to figure out what they were talking about.

"Oh my, do you think they know?"

"I don't doubt it, sis."

Kasumi clutched her hands to her chest. "But how in the world could they

have found out? We all worked so hard to keep it a secret!"

Nabiki placed a hand on her hip and raised the other in the air. "Who

knows? I'm pretty sure Ranma and Akane both kept it a secret for a while

before telling us, so… Anyway, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to

figure it out, all you would have to do is add up the numbers to see they

didn't match. They would have found out eventually, no matter how much they might

want to deny it. She's already starting to show. Well, at least the money I paid out for

the open bar isn't going to waste."

Kasumi looked over at Ranma and Akane, sitting together. Husband and wife.

They were holding hands and smiling, then Ranma leaned over and kissed

Akane on the cheek. She then looked back at the bar, where Ukyo and Ryouga

seemed to be having some kind of argument, fighting over a bottle of

liquor. A sad frown settled on her face. It really was too bad that not

everyone could come out happy with this marriage.

* * *

"Quit hoggin it, it my turn!" Ryouga grabbed the nearly empty bottle away

from Ukyo and began to chug.

She hit him in the arm. "Hey you greedy, save sumfer meee!" Ryouga

shoved her in response, and she fell off her stool onto the floor. Ryouga

slipped off his stool and shuffled to her side, leaning over her.

"Hey, HEY! Areareareyou, are you umm, uhh…are are you alright? Huh?"

Ukyo sat up just as the bartender rushed over. "That's it, I'm cutting you

both off!"

"PISS OFF!" they both shouted at the same time, stopped, then began to

laugh. The bartender scowled, then turned and walked away.

"That was fffunny, like how we said like the same thing at, like, the same

time, ya know, and like, andand and likelike stuff…" Ryouga stumbled, then

caught himself as Ukyo grabbed his pant leg and used it to try to stand

back up. Ryouga reached down, grabbed her arm, and pulled. She was up in a

flash.

Without a word of thanks, she grabbed the bottle away from him and took a

drink. "You know what drinking from this is like? Its like kissing you

without having to kiss you." She wiped her mouth, then handed him the

bottle back. "Here, here like now you can kiss me."

Ryouga took the bottle and drank the last few sips, then slammed it down on

the bar, cracking the glass. "You know what kissing you tastes like? It tastes like kissing a drunk person."

"Oh yeah, then I bet it tastes like kissing yourself!"

"You don't know nuthin bout kissin me!" Ryouga grabbed her and pulled her

close. "You want to find out? Huh?"

"You know what you are, yer a pig, you know that?" Ukyo said, then planted

a sloppy kiss on his mouth.

When she pulled back, he wiped his mouth off. "Yuck! Yer like kissing a

drunk person."

"Well, maybe that's because I am drunk, figure it out smart guy!" she said

right back just before Ryouga kissed her. She closed her eyes and kissed

right back.

When they thought back on the moment, they didn't know if it was the alcohol,

the companionship, or a combination of the both. But from that moment on, the

cause for their pain lessoned until it was nothing but a distant memory.

* * *

_Looking into Ukyo's face, illuminated by the soft candlelight, her eyes_

_wide with fear, not understanding, Ranma knew he would have to tell her._

* * *

_Ryouga tried to get the bathroom door open, no small feat being a pig,_

_trying to escape the the bath, the two, when Akane's words hit his ears like a ton of bricks._

_"Mmmm, not so fast Ranma! I'm already pregnant, we can take it easy and enjoy it now."_

* * *

_"Ukyo, you can't have my baby…because…Akane already has it._

_She's pregnant. We're getting married soon. I'm sorry."_

* * *

AN

Don't know what went through my head...

But... well, here it is...

Kind of turned out I hate the cast?

I'm a RyogaxUkyo fan :P so I prefer them for each other...

and of course Ranma and Akane...

hope it doesn't turn out too much for anyone here.,.,

I just don't know what to say.,

uhm., Review what you think?


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